Ruling DP unilaterally elects 11 parliamentary committee chiefs, sparking opposition boycott
Quick Look
- South Korea's ruling Democratic Party (DP) unilaterally elected the chiefs of 11 parliamentary standing and special committees, including the judiciary committee, after failing to reach an agreement with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).
- The PPP criticized the move, boycotted the plenary session, and vowed non-cooperation.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) unilaterally elected chiefs for 11 parliamentary committees after failing to reach an agreement with the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) on committee formations. The PPP criticized the move and boycotted the session.
SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- The ruling Democratic Party (DP)-controlled National Assembly on Tuesday elected the chiefs of 10 parliamentary standing committees and a special budget committee, prompting opposition from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).
The chiefs of the 11 committees, including the chair of the judiciary committee and the special committee on budget and accounts, were elected in a plenary session.
The move came after the ruling and main opposition parties failed to reach an agreement on the formation of the parliamentary standing committees for the second half of the National Assembly, and the DP unilaterally recommended candidates for chiefs of the 11 committees.
The PPP criticized the move, boycotting the plenary session and vowing not to cooperate with the activation of the standing committees.
The rival parties have been wrangling for weeks over how to distribute the parliamentary committee chairmanships, with the two sides remaining especially at loggerheads over who should chair the judiciary committee, a key Assembly panel that has the power to approve bills before they are put to a plenary vote.
DP floor leader Han Byung-do and his main opposition PPP counterpart, Rep. Jeong Jeom-sig, sat down for last-minute talks earlier in the day but failed to reach a compromise.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Jeong stressed that "checks and balances would be undermined" unless the PPP chairs the judiciary committee.
The DP has the majority needed to unilaterally elect standing committee chiefs as it currently holds 161 out of 300 seats in the Assembly.
Assembly Speaker Cho Jeong-sik reportedly appointed members of the 10 standing committees and the special budget committee, a decision which the PPP said was made unilaterally, and the party has filed a document to the National Assembly in protest of the move.
With the rival parties already at odds over the election of chairs for the 11 committees, the process to select chairs for the remaining seven committees is also expected to be a bumpy road.
Open Questions
- Will the PPP cooperate with the activated committees?
- How will the remaining committee chairs be decided?
